eCommerce is one of the most rapidly growing industries in the world. While its primary appeal was convenience, during the global lockdowns it took a whole new proportion and became a necessity to order daily supplies. Today, many of the urban population have made eCommerce the shopping mode of their choice. With high demand comes high supply. It is no surprise then that there is a plethora of online stores and eCommerce businesses vying for the attention of online shoppers.
Competition is stiff, and the right e-Commerce content marketing strategy can make a massive impact. The primary objective of e-Commerce content marketing is to pique the interest of potential customers, engage them with your content, and eventually convert it into sales. Before you identify the strategy that works for you, here are some of the key steps you must take to lay the groundwork.
Identify Your Potential Market
Knowing your audience is one of the key aspects of developing an e-Commerce content marketing strategy. Focus on knowing your customers’ demographics like age, gender, location, annual income, spending budget, etc. You would also like to know the kind of activities they indulge in, the type of lifestyle they lead, their problems and pain points, and so on.
Determine the Right Medium
People consume content in various ways. Moreover, the choice of the medium also changes with age and other related demographics. For example, Gen Z prefers quick and entertaining platforms like TikTok videos and Instagram reels on their smartphones. Millennials have a preference for reading blogs and FAQs to get more comprehensive insights, while the older generation may prefer emails and other forms of brochures. Knowing your audience and which platforms they spend the most time on helps you customize your content accordingly.
Create Engaging Content
All of your research efforts will go in vain if you do not have engaging enough content. A low-hanging fruit is to know what your competition is doing well. The wheel does not need to be reinvented. You can make use of existing frameworks that you feel work well for you. Knowing your competition also helps you understand the prevalent gaps that your content can fill. Impactful content can give a terrific boost to your e-Commerce content marketing plans.
Strategies To Boost Your e-Commerce content marketing
Social Media Campaigns
One of the most inexpensive yet effective ways to market your business is through social media. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn are the most popular social platforms that come with free access to a global audience. Using innovative techniques you can gain their attention, develop a following, engage them with interactive activities, and convert them into loyal customers.
Blog Posts
An often-used strategy is creating short-form or long-form blog posts. Through written content, you can share examples and experiences, address the problems that your product or service can solve, and highlight your unique selling propositions. People are constantly on the move lately, so your blog needs to be skimmable and impactful enough to hold their attention. Furthermore, using search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and keywords, you can get it to feature high on Google search results making it more likely to be consumed by your audience.
Audio Video Content
Not all get the time to read blog posts. Moreover, many others may have physical conditions limiting their ability to read. Audio and video content is not only more engaging, but it is also more inclusive. Using podcasts, animated or live-action videos, and vlogs you can reach a far wider audience. AV content can be expensive to create, so keep in mind that your content should have a longer shelf life for it to offer value for money.
Other popular strategies to give impetus to your e-Commerce content marketing include
- Affiliate marketing – getting your products advertised in online content of other people and influencers
- Category and product descriptions – works well for online stores and businesses that are selling products
- Challenges, games, and quizzes – a great way to engage the audience and find more about your business in an innovative way
- Infographics – akin to static blogs but with creative ways of presenting data and information
- How-to guides – help your audience navigate your platform and better understand the features you offer
- Buying guides – a useful resource that takes the reader through the buying journey of your category of products, and can be used to highlight your superiority amongst the competition
In Summation
No single e-Commerce content marketing strategy can fit all. Similarly, it is not necessary to use only one e-Commerce content marketing strategy. Most businesses use a multichannel approach to reach a wide and diverse audience. Using the law of probability, increases their chances of getting new customers that can add to their top line. The deep penetration of the internet and the cost-effectiveness of using it as the backbone has made digital content the go-to mode for marketers. You can also consult firms and agencies that specialize in building digital marketing and PR campaigns. Outsourcing content can make it more measurable as well.
If you are still in the early stages of developing your strategy, then here is a handy guide to e-Commerce content marketing.
